The Ruan family had set out early. By the time they reached the field, many other families had not yet come out, so the area was still full of intact waxberries that hadn’t been picked yet. Ruan Jiaojiao stood by the ditch on her tiptoes, watching her brothers pick the berries. They put the good ones in the folds of their clothing and ate the average ones on the spot.
The bright red waxberries, sweet and crisp, were enjoyed by her brothers, and she felt a craving herself. She stretched out her little hand to pick a yellow one in front of her, but before her hand could touch the fruit, Xiu Xi wrapped her small hand in his.
"It’s prickly," Xiu Xi said, pointing to the thorns.
Ruan Jiaojiao withdrew her hand and pouted silently.
In fact, she felt that it was most meaningful to pick the berries herself.
But with several brothers and the watchful eyes of the little antagonist nearby, the chances of her getting to pick any were virtually zero. She gave up on the idea and just stood obediently to the side, watching.
By the time the second group of children rushed over to pick the waxberries, the Ruan boys had already picked the best ones and, satisfied, headed back home with Ruan Jiaojiao.
On their way back, Ruan Chi saw how much Ruan Jiaojiao was longing for the berries, took out the biggest, reddest one from his clothing pocket, blew on it gently, and handed it to her, "Eat it, it’s fine."
As if blowing on it made it as clean as washing it.
Meanwhile, Ruan Jie wanted to stop her, but Ruan Jiaojiao had already popped the waxberry into her mouth with the speed of lightning.
"Sister is really craving it," the youngest, Ruan Qun, laughed.
"She even ate the leaves behind it," Little Fatty also laughed.
Ruan Jiaojiao didn’t care at all, conquered by the delicious taste in her mouth, thinking the fruit was truly wonderful.
Back at the edge of the Ruan family’s field, the Ruanlin family had already started transplanting rice seedlings. The seedlings and the field for planting were separate, with a few acres in between. Ruan Jiandang, who couldn’t enter the water, took the seedlings that Ruan Jianmin pulled up on the bank of the field several acres away, bundled them neatly with straw stalks, and then Ruan Jianjun carried them over to the transplanting field with a shoulder pole.
When the Ruanlin family saw them returning, she walked out of the water, washed her hands, and came over to collect the waxberries the boys had picked. She put them in a water bowl, poured boiling water over them, and let them soak for Ruan Jiaojiao.
She then spread out a cloth on the ground, lifted Ruan Jiaojiao onto it, put on the straw hat they had prepared early, and cooed, "Be good and watch from here. If you’re hungry, eat some biscuits and candies that Mommy brought. If you’re thirsty, eat the fruit or ask Mommy to pour you some water. If you’re tired, lay down and sleep for a while, cover yourself with this jacket, don’t get sunburned, okay?"
As she spoke, she brought over a basket containing some snacks and the last plums from the tree, and laid her own jacket over Jiaojiao’s little legs for her to cover herself with if she wanted to sleep, so she wouldn’t get sunburned.
Ruan Jiaojiao looked at her and then at the other little girls busy working in the fields, her face turning slightly red. This wasn’t like going to work at all; it was more like going on a spring outing!
"Mom, when I grow up, I can go into the water to transplant seedlings too," Ruan Jiaojiao said, seeing the little girl in the neighboring field working industriously. Fearing her planted seedlings might be crooked, they had even drawn a line with a rope from one end of the field to the other.
Ruan Jiaojiao felt she could do it too.
"Nonsense, how old are you? You don’t need to do this work," Ruanlin family immediately retorted. With nine boys at home, they certainly didn’t need their Little Jiaojiao to work in the fields.